{"id":243162,"date":"2025-08-28T00:45:35","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T19:15:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=243162"},"modified":"2025-09-06T20:57:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T15:27:26","slug":"climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"Climbing To Nowhere: How Social Aspiration Sustains Corruption In Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Janakie Seneviratne<\/a> –\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"

Janakie Seneviratne<\/p><\/div>\n

In Sri Lanka, as in many post-colonial societies,\u00a0social climbing and power climbing are not just parallel pursuits\u2014they are one and the same<\/b>. Advancement is rarely dictated solely by merit or hard work; more often, it is tethered to proximity to\u00a0power, wealth, and influence<\/b>. The forces sustaining this order are both\u00a0visible and invisible<\/b>, ranging from entrenched\u00a0patronage networks and caste affiliations<\/b>\u00a0to\u00a0elite educational backgrounds and influential family names<\/b>.<\/p>\n

This obsession with upward mobility often reveals a\u00a0collective inferiority complex<\/b>, especially among those from lower or middle socio-economic backgrounds. It is not that individuals lack confidence or ambition; rather, the\u00a0system has taught people to equate status with worth<\/b>. In this framework, aligning oneself with the elite becomes a form of social validation\u2014proof that one has “made it.”<\/p>\n

Consequently, the elite are not just admired\u2014they are revered. Their power and privilege are not seen as suspect, but as aspirational. The cost of this reverence is dangerous: corruption, abuse, and incompetence are tolerated so long as they are dressed in prestige, wealth, and eloquence. Ranil Wickremesinghe<\/a><\/span>\u2019s recent arrest, and the incidents that followed, exemplify this pattern\u2014misconduct at the highest levels is excused, defended, or even glorified when cloaked in elite status. Challenging the misconduct of the powerful feels not only futile but threatening, as it may compromise one\u2019s chances of being accepted into the very circles they aspire to join.<\/p>\n

This creates a\u00a0self-perpetuating cycle<\/b>:<\/p>\n

* The elite<\/b>, aware that their positions are insulated by awe and aspiration, feel little pressure to behave ethically or reform the system.<\/p>\n

* The aspiring masses<\/b>, afraid to challenge authority or expose corruption, become complicit in maintaining the illusion of elite infallibility.<\/p>\n

* Institutions<\/b>, shaped by these cultural norms, fail to enforce accountability, as societal demand for justice is neither strong nor consistent.<\/p>\n

In such an environment,\u00a0social mobility becomes imitation, not transformation<\/b>. Those who manage to climb often replicate the same\u00a0exclusionary, elitist, or corrupt behaviors<\/b>\u00a0they once critiqued. Success is not about creating change; it’s about assimilating into the existing power structure.<\/p>\n

Worse still, the problem is\u00a0culturally reinforced<\/b>.\u00a0Media glorifies the lifestyles of the rich and powerful<\/b>.\u00a0Education often prioritizes obedience over critical thinking<\/b>.\u00a0Religion, at times, blesses hierarchy and suffering as divine order<\/b>. The result is a society where conformity to power is rewarded, and challenging it is penalized.<\/p>\n

The cost of this cultural paradigm is immense:<\/p>\n

* A democratic deficit<\/b>\u00a0where citizens feel disempowered.<\/p>\n

* Erosion of trust<\/b>\u00a0in institutions meant to protect the public.<\/p>\n

* A growing brain drain<\/b>, as talented individuals seek fairness and recognition abroad.<\/p>\n

* And, most insidiously, the normalization of injustice<\/b>, accepted as the price of social progress.<\/p>\n

If Sri Lanka is to move forward\u2014not just economically, but morally and democratically\u2014it must confront this painful truth:\u00a0climbing the ladder is not enough when the ladder itself is broken<\/b>. True progress will only come when success is redefined, not by proximity to power, but by integrity, accountability, and the courage to question the status quo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1725,"featured_media":234770,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,46,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-243162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-constitutional-reforms","category-editorial"],"yoast_head":"\nClimbing To Nowhere: How Social Aspiration Sustains Corruption In Sri Lanka - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Climbing To Nowhere: How Social Aspiration Sustains Corruption In Sri Lanka - Colombo Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[…]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colombo Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-27T19:15:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-06T15:27:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Ranil-Wickremesinghe-pic-pMD-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"385\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Janakie Seneviratne\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Janakie Seneviratne\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/\",\"name\":\"Climbing To Nowhere: How Social Aspiration Sustains Corruption In Sri Lanka - Colombo Telegraph\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Ranil-Wickremesinghe-pic-pMD-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-27T19:15:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-06T15:27:26+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/cb3d3e557b22ea85ab0c4cf16dc22297\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Ranil-Wickremesinghe-pic-pMD-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Ranil-Wickremesinghe-pic-pMD-1.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":385},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Climbing To Nowhere: How Social Aspiration Sustains Corruption In Sri Lanka\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/\",\"name\":\"Colombo Telegraph\",\"description\":\"In journalism truth is a process\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/cb3d3e557b22ea85ab0c4cf16dc22297\",\"name\":\"Janakie Seneviratne\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/185b3b86db015f70d3bdbf0d6acda95fbc87ffa233b5066305174d77b3709282?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/185b3b86db015f70d3bdbf0d6acda95fbc87ffa233b5066305174d77b3709282?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Janakie Seneviratne\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/author\/jansen\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Climbing To Nowhere: How Social Aspiration Sustains Corruption In Sri Lanka - Colombo Telegraph","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Climbing To Nowhere: How Social Aspiration Sustains Corruption In Sri Lanka - Colombo Telegraph","og_description":"[…]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/","og_site_name":"Colombo Telegraph","article_published_time":"2025-08-27T19:15:35+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-06T15:27:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":385,"url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Ranil-Wickremesinghe-pic-pMD-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Janakie Seneviratne","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Janakie Seneviratne","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/","name":"Climbing To Nowhere: How Social Aspiration Sustains Corruption In Sri Lanka - Colombo Telegraph","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Ranil-Wickremesinghe-pic-pMD-1.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-27T19:15:35+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-06T15:27:26+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/cb3d3e557b22ea85ab0c4cf16dc22297"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Ranil-Wickremesinghe-pic-pMD-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Ranil-Wickremesinghe-pic-pMD-1.jpg","width":600,"height":385},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/climbing-to-nowhere-how-social-aspiration-sustains-corruption-in-sri-lanka\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Climbing To Nowhere: How Social Aspiration Sustains Corruption In Sri Lanka"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/","name":"Colombo Telegraph","description":"In journalism truth is a process","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/cb3d3e557b22ea85ab0c4cf16dc22297","name":"Janakie Seneviratne","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/185b3b86db015f70d3bdbf0d6acda95fbc87ffa233b5066305174d77b3709282?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/185b3b86db015f70d3bdbf0d6acda95fbc87ffa233b5066305174d77b3709282?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Janakie Seneviratne"},"url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/author\/jansen\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Ranil-Wickremesinghe-pic-pMD-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1725"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243162"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":243298,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243162\/revisions\/243298"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}